


It's Probably Pirates

by MegaShinyObject



Series: Warriors of Light [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, Multiple Warriors of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28613832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaShinyObject/pseuds/MegaShinyObject
Summary: In La Noscea, the story begins for four adventurers.
Series: Warriors of Light [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096682





	1. Prologue: A Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just going to start this off by saying that this fic is probably going to be very long. This is the first in a series that will follow the story of the game, and stars multiple Warriors of Light instead of only one. My plan is to post a chapter a week, but I've also been busier and busier every week at work (STRESSSSSSSSS!), so we'll see how that goes.
> 
> I will state right here and now that, while I'm following the main story of the game as closely as I can, I have eliminated some gameplay stuff in order to make the story flow better. For example, both of the characters introduced in this chapter are arcanists, but one is already a Scholar and the other is a Summoner; trying to add in all the extra stuff to level them up and branch them off was just not going to happen. Not only was it confusing to try to write around, it also added a whole hell of a lot of extra fluff that didn't actually add anything to the story (and it's already hard to write for an arcanist's fighting style anyway).
> 
> Stuff that works in game does not work in a book, haha. Sorry.
> 
> Anyways, I've been both nervous and excited to post this, so I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter!

**Prologue: A Beginning**

Limsa Lominsa was waking up.

The sounds of ships moving in and out of port, the hustle and bustle of the markets and the Fisherman's Guild, the movement of bodies as people went to and fro about their business. These were all the sounds of a city alive. A mi'qote woman meeting her hyur boyfriend near the aetheryte plaza. A lalafel guard helping a roegadyn couple who were visiting from out of town with directions. A qiquern fisherman peddling his wares near a crowded marketboard. These were things that Lotus had become accustomed to seeing since arriving in the city a little less than five months earlier. The permeating smell of fish had been a little harder to adjust to, but she'd eventually gotten used to it. Now, this place did feel like home. She did miss her actual home, to be sure, but Limsa Lominsa was the next best thing.

The Drowning Wench was a tavern, and therefore wasn't too busy this early in the morning, but there were still a few regular patrons who had arrived for breakfast before going about their day. There was an elezen woman who was already drunk, despite the early hours (or, it was possible, hadn't stopped drinking since the night before), and a group of sailors who had ordered a round while they were docked, but for the most part the place was fairly quiet.

Lotus sat at a table next to one of the Wench's rounded walls. On the table before her sat a cup of extremely strong coffee and an empty plate that had held some of the best scrambled eggs she'd ever eaten. One thing that could be said for the Drowning Wench was that the food was very, very good.

A waitress came to remove the plate and offered to refill the coffee, but Lotus politely declined; the cup was still half full, and she enjoyed sipping it slowly. The waitress retreated with the plate, and Lotus turned back to the thick, hardback book she had been concentrating on reading. She had situated herself toward the rear of the tavern, where she would remain out of view of most people. The person she was going to meet would know she was here, but she didn't really need any other factors drawing prying eyes her way. She just wanted to enjoy her morning with a coffee and a good book before her visitor arrived. It wasn't easy to remain inconspicuous when one was as tall as Lotus was.

She was a roegadyn, standing at just below seven feet, three inches tall, with deep tan skin and light, slightly pink hair that fell down to her lower back in long, thick waves. She tended to like to stay out of the spotlight, but since she stood taller than even some roegadyn men, that was rather hard to do. She had, in fact, tripped over actual, living people once or twice since arriving in Limsa Lominsa whom she simply hadn't seen, which, in addition to making her more aware of her surroundings, had also done quite the number to her self confidence. She was a clumsy individual, and her height did her no favors in that regard. She was currently wearing a dress made of loose, flowing fabric that wrapped around her and showed off her rather muscular arms, and long white pants that fell just past her ankles. Her shoes were flat, practical, and comfortable. Her hair was tied back out of her face with a ribbon, and she was currently wearing a pair of dainty reading glasses on her face that had slipped slightly down her nose. She reached up with one finger to adjust the glasses and flipped the page in her book.

This was her element. Alone at a table, with a cup of coffee, a cool sea breeze, and a good book.

There was one thing that would make her morning a little better, though, and that thing arrived in the form of a person. A friend, who had inserted herself into Lotus' life very shortly after the roegadyn woman had arrived in the city.

Her name was Ophelia Skye, and she had just arrived at the Drowning Wench.

She was a young hyuran woman, short and thin with pale blue hair that fell to her shoulders and bright, round, brown eyes. She stood at five feet, four inches tall, coming up only to Lotus' stomach when the two women stood next to each other. She was wearing a plain dress, pale pink in color, that fell to just below her knees, a beige sweater, a pair of light shoes that tied across the top, and a large hat with a wide brim that sat just slightly off to the side of her head. The young woman entered the tavern and practically skipped over to the front desk, where the proprietor, Baderon, sat reading over the local paper. She greeted him with a little hug, and a very loud, "Good morning, Uncle Baddy!" before making her way over to where Lotus sat at the table. Lotus placed a marker into her book and closed it before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Good morning, Skye," Lotus said. Her voice was deep and smooth, quiet and calming. She offered Skye a small grin as the hyuran woman sat across from her at the table.

"Mornin'!" Skye responded. In contrast to Lotus' deeper voice, Skye's voice was light and airy, and as much as Lotus liked the girl and enjoyed having her around, it was as though she'd never learned the meaning of quiet. Skye had already received several glances upon her entrance, and even now some of the patrons had their eyes on her. Skye, for her part, was either blissfully unaware of the stares, or simply didn't care.

Lotus wished she could be like that. As it stood now, she found herself almost involuntarily sinking lower into the chair, which was already nearly too small for her anyway, under the weight of the eyes upon them.

Skye crossed her hands on top of the table as she sat and leaned forward toward Lotus, "Big day today, eh?"

"It is," Lotus responded with a small nod, "You're sure you're up for this?"

"You're sure _you_ are?" Skye retorted, cocking a brow as she looked Lotus over with a smile, "I had to talk you into it, remember?"

Lotus gave a little nod in response. Skye had been all gung ho about joining the Adventurer's Guild for a couple of weeks now. It had taken that long for her to convince Lotus to join her in the venture, but after all of the poking and prodding, Lotus had eventually agreed. Lotus had, after all, come to Eorzea to _experience_ Eorzea, and she wasn't doing that by sitting around the Arcanist's Guild at Limsa Lominsa all day. So, she'd agreed to accompany Skye on _one_ little quest. One. That had been the agreement. They would join the Guild long enough to do one assignment, and then see where that led them.

It definitely wasn't going to be a long term commitment on her end.

"Have you talked to Baderon about it yet?" Lotus asked, turning her gaze toward the older man; Baderon was now assisting one of the waitresses with the incredibly drunk elezen woman. It seemed they were trying to cut her off, and she wasn't happy about that in the slightest. Baderon, in his own way, was trying his best to be firm with her, but Lotus was fairly certain the old barkeep was more amused by the situation than anything else.

Skye let out a chuckle, "Yep! I already arranged everything with 'im. Only thing left to do is register!"

Lotus nodded and leaned forward in her chair, "So...do we need to pack anything, or...?"

"Depends on where we go!" Skye responded, "We could be given an assignment here in Limsa Lominsa, or somewhere outside the city. I'm hoping for outside the city, personally!"

"Honestly, so am I," Lotus said, "I haven't been too far outside Limsa Lominsa yet. It would be nice to see what's out there."

"La Noscea is beautiful, really! You're missing out by not explorin' a bit."

Lotus met the comment with a little grin, "That's why we're doing this, right? To explore?"

Skye nodded vigorously, "Yep!" She got to her feet and pushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, "Ready?"

Lotus gathered up her book, quickly finished what she could of her coffee, and got to her feet. She had a feeling this whole thing wouldn't be nearly as simple as Skye seemed to believe it would be, but she was willing to give it a shot. At least for a little bit. There was nothing that said she had to stick around if she wound up out of her depth. As long as neither one of them ended up hurt or killed, there was no harm in trying, right?

The two ladies approached the main counter, Skye climbing up onto one of the barstools and kicking her feet a bit. She leaned forward on the counter, her head on her hands, and turned her gaze toward Lotus, who had settled onto the barstool next to her. Baderon had just finished making sure the drunken woman had been led safely out of the tavern and was heading back toward the bar, whistling an old sea shanty to himself as he walked. He ruffled Skye's hair as he moved past her to slip back behind the counter, causing the young woman to grimace a bit, and offered Lotus a bright smile.

"Mornin'! 'ow was the coffee?"

"Good, as always," Lotus said, "And give my compliments to your chef. The eggs were fantastic."

Baderon let out a loud belly laugh, "Ain't no chef 'ere, darlin'. Just some ol' pirate cook 'ho's used to scrappin' stuff together with wha'ever's on 'and. But I'll pass 'long your good word to 'im, if you'd like."

"Please do." Lotus said with a grin, "The food here is surprisingly good for simply being 'scrapped together'."

Baderon laughed again and leaned onto the counter on one elbow, "What can I 'elp you ladies with today, eh?"

Skye's face lit up, "We're registering, Uncle Baddy! Officially."

Baderon's thick brows rose and his smile grew, if possible, even wider, "Oh? Yer joinin' the Guild, eh?"

"Yep!" Skye said with a nod, her hair bouncing with the sheer force of the action, "I finally talked 'er into it!" Her accent seemed to get thicker whenever she was in her uncle's company. Maybe it simply rubbed off on her when they were talking.

Baderon reached under the counter and withdrew a large log book, placing it on the counter and opening it to the first available empty page. The book was nearly full of names, previous adventurers who had joined the guild for one reason or another. Each name was an individual story, and it crossed Lotus' mind that she would love to read over all of those names someday.

The old proprietor produced a quill and presented it to Skye with a little bow and a grin. Skye took the quill between two dainty fingers, dipped it into the provided ink, and wrote her name down on the next available blank line on the page. Her handwriting was surprisingly sloppy, sharp and slanted. She was a much better artist than she was a calligrapher. After signing her name, she handed the quill over to Lotus and leaned back a bit on the stool. Lotus took the quill while Baderon pushed the log toward her to allow her better access to write on the page. She signed her name directly below Skye's, her handwriting loose, flowing, tiny and equally as difficult to read as Skye's own signature.

With that done, Baderon took the quill and the log and replaced them under the counter, careful to leave the large book open until the ink on the signatures could dry. Skye let out an excited little giggle and turned her gaze on Lotus, "We're officially adventurers now, Lotus!"

Baderon nodded, placing his fists on his hips, "Aye, that ya are, dearie."

"What do we do now?" Lotus asked with a shrug, "Just wait for something to come in, or...?"

Baderon gave her a wink, grinning, "Ye can start now, if ya like. 'Ow'd ye fancy a trip outside the city walls?"

Skye squeaked with excitement and clasped her hands together, "Yes!"

"I'd like ye to visit an orchard by the name o' Summerford Farms. Ever 'eard o' the place?"

Skye nodded, "I have, yeah. Been there once or twice."

"Course ye have," Baderon said with a grin. He turned his gaze upward toward Lotus, who had since gotten to her feet, "An' ye, lass?"

Lotus shook her head, "No. I haven't really been outside Limsa Lominsa much since arriving."

"Welp, the owner, Staelwyrn, is an ol' mate o' mine." Baderon said, "'E's got 'imself a crew o' mostly reformed pirate types, if ye can believe that, and 'e's been tryin' ta bring a bit o' life back to the fields after the Calamity ruined the soil. 'E mentioned a while back needin' another 'and or two, and yer names sprang to mind."

Skye blinked, "You want us...to help them farm?" She barely hid the disappointment in her voice, and failed entirely to hide the disappointment in her expression. She hadn't exactly expected to just help plant oranges or whatever it was they did out at Summerford. She'd clearly been hoping for something a bit more...well, _adventurous._

Baderon gave her a sideways glance, that grin never leaving his face even as a knowing gleam entered his eye, "Aye. An' I gave ye a glowin' recommendation, too, so make sure ye work 'ard an' impress the ol' bastard."

Skye physically slumped on the stool, and despite herself, Lotus grinned. She had to admit, where Skye was disappointed, she herself was relieved. She could handle farming. Hells, she could handle standing guard at the farm if need be, so long as they weren't throwing themselves directly into danger. This wouldn't be so bad, after all.

"So, how do we get there?"

"I know the way," Skye said, a slight whine to her voice as her gaze met Baderon, "Are you sure about this, Uncle Baddy?"

Baderon nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, "Aye, lass." He sent that little wink her way now, "Don' act too disappointed, now. Ye don' have to be jumpin' with joy, but Staelwyrn was really lookin' forward to 'avin' some 'elp, so try to at least _look_ like ye wan' to be there, aye?"

"Aye," Skye said, the disappointment in her voice completely noticeable now.

"Come on, Skye," Lotus said, putting her hand on the smaller girl's shoulder, "You wanted to be able to help people. This is how we can help for now."

"Lass's got the long n' short of it, yeah," Baderon agreed.

Skye let out a little sigh and hopped off the stool. Baderon came out from behind the counter to steal a hug from his niece, which she returned with a smile, despite herself, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Be careful out there, darlin'."

"I'll be fine, Uncle Baddy," Skye said, "Promise."

Lotus exchanged a quick handshake with the older man before making her way up to her room to quickly pack a bag; Summerford Farms was a couple hours walk from Limsa Lominsa, so it was likely they'd be gone at least one night. She left the tavern and took a set of long stairs down toward the Lower Docks to meet Skye, who led the way out of the city and into La Noscea beyond.


	2. Chapter 1: On to Summerford

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotus and Skye make their way to Summerford Farms, where they're briefed on their first assignment.

La Noscea really was beautiful.

A few white, fluffy clouds occasionally dotted the otherwise bright blue sky, and the sun was warm. There was a light breeze blowing through the air, and humidity was high. The salty smell of the sea was a bit more prominent outside the city, while the overwhelming smell of fish had more or less all but disappeared. The walk to Summerford Farms would take a couple of hours at most, and the path was clear of any obstacles so far.

Skye, who hadn't eaten anything that morning, had apparently packed jerky to snack on during the walk. She offered some to Lotus, who politely declined, before putting one of the jerky sticks in her mouth and shoving the rest back into her pack.

"You're not hungry?" Skye asked, as she chomped down on the jerky in a less than ladylike manner.

Lotus chuckled and shook her head, "I ate breakfast at the Drowning Wench, remember?"

Skye nodded, "Right. You ever been in La Noscea proper?"

"Nope," Lotus shook her head, "First time out of Limsa Lominsa for me."

"Ooh, you're in for a treat!" Skye said, a smile forming at her lips. She ran ahead a bit along the path and climbed up onto a boulder, spreading her arms wide, "There's a whole wide world out here to explore, Lotus!"

She was right, of course. This place was beautiful. What surprised Lotus though, was the sheer amount of wild animals along the path. For the most part, they left the girls alone, but there were a few wharf rats that had approached them with mild curiosity upon leaving the city, and the presence of goobbues along the rolling fields was more than a bit disconcerting. But aside from a puk hatchling trying to steal Skye's jerky at one point (she wound up letting the little guy have it so that they could avoid being actively attacked by the thing), nothing overly exciting happened on the walk to Summerford Farms.

Their first stop upon arriving at the town was to attune to the aetheryte crystal so that they could make a quick trip back here if they needed to; teleporting wasn't exactly cheap or easy to do, but it was nice to have the option, just in case. Unlike the aetheryte plaza in Limsa Lominsa, the area around this crystal was all but empty. There was one Maelstrom officer who seemed to be acting as a guard of sorts -- and doing a terrible job of it, as she seemed to be napping while standing up -- a couple of workers conversing behind a nearby building who didn't exactly look approachable, and a lalafell woman who's eyes had been on the pair of young women since they'd climbed the hill into the plaza.

She was, quite possibly, the shortest lalafell Lotus had ever seen, coming up to just below the roegadyn's  _knees_ . Her skin was dark in tone, and she had long, dark brownish red hair that was shaved on one side and fell over her shoulder in a wavy heap. Her eyes were large, round, and very, very gold in color. She wore bright pink armor, and was carrying a sword in a sheath around her waist, and a shield at her back. Despite her stature, she gave off an air of someone one probably wouldn't want to screw with, lest they wind up losing a limb to that sword.

"You ladies looking for something?" the lalafell asked, her voice a surprisingly deep mezzo.

"Uh, yeah," Skye said, practically skipping forward toward the lalafell, "we're here to speak with Staelwyrn?"

The lalafell's golden eyes flicked between Skye, who seemed to be fighting the urge to call the tiny woman "cute," and Lotus, who looked quite ready to cover her friend's mouth to keep her from doing just that. She considered the two other women for a moment, eyes narrowed, then she put on a wide grin and chuckled a bit. Lotus seemed to visibly relax and Skye met the lalafell's grin with one of her own.

"You two the adventurers he sent for?"

"Yep!" Skye said with an enthusiastic nod, "We sure are!"

The lalafell's eyes rested on Lotus for a moment, looking her up and down, "My, ain't you a tall one." Then she turned her gaze back to Skye. "And you're a happy one, ain't ya?"

Skye shrugged, "I try to be!" There  _was_ a slight tinge of unhappiness to her voice, and Lotus briefly wondered if the young woman was still upset that they were here to simply help around the farm instead of fight off a hoard of monsters or something.

"Uh, huh," the lalafell said. She was very good at not showing emotion on her face, but she seemed to be trying to get a read on them. "Well, Staelwyrn's over there," she said, jamming a thumb over one shoulder toward the building behind her, "He's expecting you. Follow me."

"Thank you so much," Lotus responded, offering the smaller woman a little bow. The lalafell gave her a lazy salute in response, then turned and led the way around the building toward an older roegadyn man. He was standing in front of a door that had been carved into the large rock formation that made up the center of the little town, lazily leaning against the outside, arms crossed over his chest and his one good eye closed. His face was turned upward, toward the sky; it seemed he was simply enjoying the breeze.

"Staelwyrn," the lalafell called, "visitors for ya."

The roegadyn man opened his one good eye, the other scarred and hidden behind an eyepatch. He looked upon the two women standing before him with mild confusion at first, then his face lit up with recognition. "Ah, thank you, Lulu," he said to the lalafell woman. Lulu gave him a swift nod, produced an orange from the pack at her waist next to the sword and sheath, and began to peel and eat it as she walked away back to her spot beside the aetheryte crystal.

"Well," Staelwyrn said, offering handshakes to Skye and Lotus in welcome, "you must be my adventurers. You honored Baderon's word, so that's a good start. I'm Staelwyrn, or the 'Old Bastard,' as Baderon likely described me, and this here is my humble orchard."

"It's lovely!" Skye piped up.

"A good number of the lads n' lasses workin' here once terrorized the high seas, believe it or not. If you're wonderin' why I employ these scrags, well...they used to crew my pirate ship."

"P-pirate ship?" Lotus stammered, unable to hide the sheer surprise from her voice.

"Aye," Staelwyrn said with a slight chuckle. He sent a small, knowing wink her way, "Pirate ship."

"How exactly do pirates come to work at an orchard?" Lotus asked, her voice more curious than accusatory. Everything she'd read about pirates, both fictional and non-fictional, had painted them as a chaotic lot who liked to destroy, plunder, and steal everything they came across. The fact that  _these_ pirates were simply...running a farm, and so close to a major city with protection from said city had to have been a truly fascinating tale.

"The Calamity did for our ship like it did so many others, lass, and I was sore wounded into the bargain. I had to feed myself and my crew somehow, and dear Admiral Merlwyb's initiative to get us landlocked buccaneers workin' the fields seemed too find an offer to refuse." He let out a hearty laugh, which Skye happily joined in on, "Well, turns out you can take the pirate away from the sea, but you can't take the sea away from the pirate. A lot of these blokes just never took to tendin' the soil, you see, and unfortunately, the botanists I called in to train 'em have been wringin' their hands in black despair. With so much work pilin' up, I need tougher souls like the two of you to step in and help where it's needed."

"Alright," Lotus responded. She could get behind helping people trying to earn an honest living, even if they used to be pirates, "What do you need?"

Staelwyrn glanced around and beckoned the two ladies to come in closer, as though he were about to tell some huge secret. Lotus and Skye exchanged a glance before stepping closer to the man; he continued speaking in a quieter tone, "I hope I've read the two of you right, for I've a task that requires the attention of capable adventurers."

"We're more than capable, sir," Skye said, giving him a salute and a quick nod.

Staelwyrn cocked a brow at her and shrugged, "Alright, that's good to hear. I'll lay before you the sorry tale, then. You may have heard rumors of abductions. Aye, citizens have been disappearin' from every corner of Limsa Lominsa, as if plucked from the face of Hydaelyn, boots and all, by an unseen hand. And lately, it seems a collection of right unsavory fellows with asure-tattooed faces has been creepin' up the edges of the fields and spying on my yeomen. Lulu reported seein' one just last night, right up along the border wall, lookin' in."

"They're just...watching you?" Lotus asked, her brow furrowed, "They haven't tried anything yet?"

"Aye, not yet," Staelwyrn said with a nod, "I doubt anyone would enjoy bein' scrutinized by such savages at the best of times, but the farmhands are convinced that they're the kidnappers of rumor, come for their hides. Needless to say, they're beside 'emselves with worry, and their work's sufferin' for it -- which is the very  _last_ thing I need when my old crewmen are still gettin' used to their new jobs. 'Tis a struggle to get 'em to leave the farmhouse of a mornin'."

"Um, sorry," Skye piped up, holding up one finger as though to interrupt, "I don't mean to be rude, but, why are a bunch of ex-pirates scared of kidnappers? Can't you just fight them off?"

Staelwyrn shook his head, "Nay, lass, not here. Not like this. We're tryin' to avoid bloodshed, especially this close to Limsa Lominsa, and  _especially_ after we've been given the chance by the Admiral to prove ourselves as effective members of society. Besides, they're rather intimidating folk."

"What...precisely would you like us to do here?" Lotus hesitantly asked. She'd expected to come here and help with the farm, maybe work with the botanists Staelwyrn had mentioned earlier to make the soil workable again. Gardening wasn't exactly something she was used to doing, or even something she was particularly interested in doing, but she had been prepared to do it.

But this...this sounded like he wanted them to hunt down some pretty dangerous people. People even  _ex-pirates_ didn't want to contend with.

"Would you be willin' to investigate these tattooed thugs for me?" Staelwyrn asked, his eyes darting between the two women standing in front of him.

If Skye were able to glow, she would be doing so in this very moment. She smiled, her eyes lighting up with excitement. Lotus, meanwhile, visibly deflated and nervously bit her lip, her brows furrowed. She was inwardly trying to come up with a way to get out of this, but she knew already that they were involved and that there would probably be no backing away from the job now. They'd come here at Baderon's word, and they couldn't just leave lest they break that word. And Staelwyrn seemed like he genuinely needed the help; Lotus was never one to turn away someone who needed a helping hand.

_Well, damn._

"Sir," Skye said, her voice high and filled with barely contained excitement, "We would be so happy to do this for you, you have no idea!"

"Good lass," Staelwyrn said in response, giving her a nod, "The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the sooner this place will start to resemble a workin' farm again."

"Where, ah...where would we begin this search, exactly?" Lotus asked. She wasn't nearly as excited as Skye was for this sudden change of plans, but at least she seemed to be succeeding at hiding the fear and disappointment in her voice.

"I'd suggest you begin by havin' a look around Seasong Grotto. If reports are to be believed, our unwelcome visitors have occupied the place. Be careful, though, girlies -- I couldn't say for sure what manner of miscreants we're dealin' with here. If they  _are_ the kidnappers....well, just be on your guard, all right?"

Skye nodded vigerously in response, while Lotus wilted even further. They got directions from Staelwyrn on which way the Grotto was and approximately where it was located, then headed off toward the main gate that led out into Middle La Noscea. Lotus felt sick to her stomach. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. They weren't supposed to be fighting anything. But they were involved now, and Skye was so excited that she was practically vibrating; there wouldn't be any talking her out of it at this point. Besides, they'd made a promise to Baderon, and by extension, to Staelwyrn. Lotus _liked_ Baderon. He'd taken care of her since her arrival in Limsa Lominsa, even offering her a discount on a room there at the inn when she wasn't staying at the Arcanist's Guild. She couldn't let him down. She wished she knew what she'd managed to get herself into with this one before making the choice to come here, but as far as she was concerned, there was no backing out now. She'd shaken this man's hand and promised to help him wherever he needed it. Right now, this was apparently what he needed. Her own fears could wait.

Besides, it wasn’t like she was completely incapable of fending for herself. She’d learned a lot from Emerald, at the Arcanist’s Guild, about how to fight and how to heal. Push came to shove, Lotus was confident in her ability to at least keep herself and Skye alive long enough to get out of any situation they got themselves into. She could do this.  _They_ could do this.

As the two women made their way down the path toward the entrance to Summerford, heading in the direction of the Seasong Grotto and their quarry, they could see the beginnings of an incoming storm out over the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will feature the first fight scene of the series. Yay....  
> Honestly, I'm not good at fight scenes AT ALL, so brace yourselves!
> 
> This chapter was a real bitch and a half to write. I don't even know WHY. It just didn't wanna be written for some reason. Also, you've officially met another OC of mine, Lulu. Full name: Lalulu Lulu. My little lalafell tank. I adore her, she's a lot of fun to write, and I'm looking forward to featuring her a bit more in the story.

**Author's Note:**

> Funny thing about Lotus: she's the first character I ever created in this game. She's my main, and I've been playing her for over two years. But when I first created her, I didn't know that roegadyns were fucking giants, so I pushed her to just below the absolute tallest setting she could go (I love myself some tall, muscular girls). Then I got into the first cutscene and she was just TOWERING over everyone, and I just about died laughing. I couldn't bring myself to change it, and since then I've really come to enjoy being so much taller than even some male roegadyn players.
> 
> The whole "fear of tripping over someone" thing is VERY real in game, too, by the way. If one could damage other players outside of PvP, I would've accidentally killed hundreds of lalafell by now just running around doing quests.
> 
> Skye is just fun to write. She's one of my newer characters that I specifically created in game when I decided to write this fic so that I could get a feel for her. Since I suffer from chronic depression and anxiety, it's nice to be able to jump into the shoes of someone who just seems so genuinely happy and upbeat all the time -- though it is really hard to get into that mindset when writing her. I also really like her look; I've been in love with blue hair since I was introduced to Vivi in One Piece, and I feel like it's not a design choice you see often enough.


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